Blood lead and blood pressure: a cross sectional study in a general population group

In a sample of general population not occupationally exposed to lead (254 males and 271 females), a cross sectional study has been carried out to evaluate the relationship between lead in blood (PbB), blood pressure and hypertension. The data were analyzed by the common statistical significance tests (Student t test, variance analysis) and by logistic regression and showed that, even taking into account the well-known confounding factors (such as age, overweight, heredity, smoking, alcohol) PbB and blood pressure are significantly correlated. In light of these results and according to the more recent literature, it is proposed to consider PbB as a synthetical indicator of major cardiovascular risk rather than a single risk factor.